Brown Recluse Spiders

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Why do I have so many spiders in my home?
Spiders are predatory and use your home as a harborage site. Check the underside of vinyl or wood siding on your home’s exterior and you may find spiders working their way inside. Spiders are also there because you may have another insect problem that has attracted spiders to this food source. The insects caught in the spider’s nest will help your pest management professional identify your pest problems. Eliminating this food source will help eliminate the predatory spiders as well.

Brown Recluse Spiders

Do we have brown recluse spiders in our area?

Yes, we do. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly twenty percent of the 10,000 spider bites reported each year are attributed to the brown recluse spider. Experts, however, insist these spiders rarely bite and when they do, most bites are not severe and some 90% heal without treatment. The Center for Disease Control also reports the suspected bites are from outside the spiders’ geographic range and maintain that many medical conditions and injuries cause skin necrosis similar to the brown recluse bite including bites of other spiders, poison ivy, and diabetic ulcers.

Nevertheless, spiders, and the brown recluse in particular, has received much recent attention. Most everyone knows someone who has been bitten by this spider. The pest control industry continued to treat more homes for spider problems in recent years than in previous periods. One customer called us for help after moving into a recently purchased home that was overrun by the brown recluse spider.

While most homes don’t have such a large population to eliminate, it is important to understand spiders to better control and eliminate them from your home. Often the spiders enter homes on their own, particularly when there is an abundant source of food. And the spider’s favorite food is, of course, insects. Spiders are frequently seen near water and they may be brought into homes in boxes, firewood, or even on clothes, shoes and items bought from a yard sale, for example. While the brown recluse spiders are primarily located in the central south and Midwestern U.S., these spiders can also be shipped anywhere in furniture or boxes from infested locations.

They earn their name because they are typically “reclusive” and are found in little-used areas like cluttered attics, closets, and storage rooms. They are not active in the daytime and typically only bite when trapped or disturbed. A fully mature spider, including the body and legs, is the size of a quarter. They may be light brown to light grey and have a distinctive dark mark on their back shaped like a violin. Mature cellar spiders are often identified as a brown recluse spider because they are about the same size and color, but lack the violin shaped spot. They are not considered a danger.

Depending on the severity of the infestation, treatment for spiders can take several hours. You pest management professional will use monitoring glue boards to assess the spider populations. In addition to controlling the spider populations, your technician will also work to aggressively eliminate other insect food sources that are attracting the spiders. Homeowners can aid in spider elimination by cleaning and clearing storage areas, add lighting to basements and garages, cleaning winter clothes and storing them properly, and shaking out any items purchased at yard sales. Also inspect incoming shipments of furniture and gifts and open such packages outside, if possible. It is important to have follow-up inspections and monitoring to control the brown recluse spiders.